The national body had requested that each branch decides whether the umbrella body should go on strike or not.Rumor has it that Futminna has ceased academic activities since earlier this week. It was also gathered that UI has voted in support of an industrial action.

Give update about information you have gathered so far about the impending strike.

Several branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have voted overwhelmingly for members in both federal and state universities to embark on an indefinite strike to press home the implementation of their demands.ASUU branches nationwide on Friday held a referendum in line with an earlier directive by the National Executive Council (NEC) to vote whether the strike will be indefinite strike, one month strike, one week warning and no strike.

The meeting of ASUU NEC is currently ongoing at the union’s secretariat at Abuja to deliberate on the outcome of the referendum conducted by the branches.Feelers from the NEC meeting indicate that several of the branches including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Ibadan (UI) and Lagos State University (LASU) voted for an indefinite industrial action.

One of ASUU Zonal Coordinators told our Correspondent that his zone voted overwhelmingly for strike and that the outcome of the referendum conducted on Friday will be collated to enable the union take a position.

Among issues in contention includes, federal government breach of the 2009 FG/ASUU Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed agreement on financing grant to state universities, conditions of service, non implementation of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and re -negotiation of the agreement.

Other outstanding issues are non provision of revitalization funds to public universities, non release of NUPEMCO operational licence, payment of half salaries to members and government owing universities outstanding N880 billion in intervention fund.The ASUU NEC meeting will end early Sunday morning and the National President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi is expected to address the press on the outcome of the crucial meeting.

As it becomes clearer by the day that another nationwide strike by university lecturers seems inevitable, students under the umbrella body of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) are making frantic efforts to appeal to both the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to review their stands and avoid the standoff, which will definitely bode ill for the sector.

Chairmen of state chapters of ASUU are currently in Abuja, with the national leadership, collating and reviewing the results of the referendum they conducted in their separate chapters.The chairmen are expected to decide today (Sunday, August 13) whether or not to proceed on a nationwide strike, and for how long.

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the union met at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, on the 22nd and 23rd July, 2017, and deliberated extensively on issues arising from the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement, the 2013 MoU and other related issues and decided to conduct a referendum at the branch congresses on the next line of action.According to a letter signed by the National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, the issues at stake include payment of fractions/non-payment of salaries; non-payment of earned academic allowances, non-release of operational licence of NUPENCO, retired professors and their salaries, university staff schools, and funds for the revitalisation of public universities.

However the National President of NANS, Mr Haruna Kadiri, says these issues are long-standing and that strikes called in the past had never really brought desired results.In a telephone interview on Saturday, Mr Kadiri said, “We are trying to meet with stakeholders to meet with ASUU to put the issues on the table, to see which ones we can plead with ASUU and the ones we can engage the federal government on.“As much as we are not in support of strike, we are not telling ASUU outright that it is wrong (you don’t flog a man and tell him not to cry), we are also pleading with the federal government to be responsible enough to meet the demands that they have reached over time (since 2009).

“Agreed, it is not this present government that reached that agreement, but government is a continuum; so it is expected that government should have sat down with ASUU to review the agreement and agree on certain things…not for us to start hearing that ASUU wants to go on strike again. It’s unfortunate.“We’re planning to engage them on Monday. Let us sit down collectively and find a way out.“Honestly, I am not blaming ASUU; neither am I saying ‘kudos, go on strike’, but I think we should meet, review the issues and further talk about the issues. That is the only solution to it.”Kadiri however ASUU needs to explore other more effective means of achieving its goals, other than strikes, which he believes has never been helpful.“I once engaged ASUU and I said before I was born, ASUU had been going on strike, and if you ask me: has strike ever brought about the desired result?“Our institutions are research centres. Why is it that ASUU hasn’t gone on research to find a permanent solution to all of these their agitations? Because it looks like strike has never brought the desired results.“If ASUU cannot go on research to get a desired result on how to curb all of these issues, then we are in trouble in this country,” he added.All efforts to get comments from the Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, Mrs Chinenye Ihuoma, failed as persistent calls sent to her phone were not answered; neither did she reply a text message sent to her.

writerights:The national body had requested that each branch decides whether the umbrella body should go on strike or not.Rumor has it that Futminna has ceased academic activities since earlier this week. It was also gathered that UI has voted in support of an industrial action.

Give update about information you have gathered so far about the impending strike.

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The crevices in the educational system in terms of underdevelopment and infrastructural deficiency is so appalling and requires immediate attention yet those in the house of representatives will still want more cars to be added to their fleet.

writerights:The national body had requested that each branch decides whether the umbrella body should go on strike or not.Rumor has it that Futminna has ceased academic activities since earlier this week. It was also gathered that UI has voted in support of an industrial action.

Give update about information you have gathered so far about the impending strike.